Instructional Unit Plan

Goals of Revolution Unit / Unit Outline (Draft - under construction)

Title of Unit: The American Revolution

Author: Emily Micucci

Primary Subject: Elementary/4th Grade /American History

Grade Level: 4th Grade (according to scope and sequence of Core Knowledge Foundation curriculum and also Boulder Valley School District, Colorado)

Introduction: (What is this unit about / what is the purpose of teaching it / what will students learn in general as a result of participating in this unit? )
This unit is about the American Revolution and includes information on the background, events, people, places and historical relevance of the Revolutionary period. This is part of the required curriculum for fourth grade at both the Core Knowledge school that I currently teach at, and in the Boulder Valley School District. The Colonial/Revolutionary War period was such a crucial part of American history. The foundations of the USA and American history in general all involve the historical events of this time period. The very documents that govern the United States today were written during this time. It is essential for students to have a strong background knowledge about the American Revolution in order to understand why our country is what it is today. Through this unit, the students will learn about the Revolution, about our country’s beginnings and the relationship of this time period to our life as American citizens today. The students will also learn about the use of educational technology and about cross-curricular topics such as related literacy genres and activities. To summarize, the main focus will be learning important background knowledge about the Revolution, while integrating the latest educational technology into learning.

Unit Objectives

• Student will state at least three events/factors in Colonial America leading up to the start of the Revolutionary War.
• Student will be able to give the names and significance of at least five people who lived during this period.
• Student will identify at least four events of the Revolutionary War period in chronological order.
• Student will compare and contrast life in Colonial America during this period to life today, and include at least two similarities and three differences.
• Student will read two different genres about the revolution (i.e. – biography, poem, historical fiction, nonfiction).
• Student will choose a genre and write a piece about the American Revolution (poem, story, article, descriptive paragraph, biography, informative paragraph, historical fiction story, etc.)

Time Required: minimum – two week unit (could go up to three weeks)

Basic Concepts /Skills to be taught:

· Timeline of events
· Famous people
· Roles/contributions of women and minorities
· Background information
· Differences and similarities of life then and now
· Important battles
· Results of Revolution
· Vocabulary terms
· Declaration of Independence (Overview)
· Constitution (Overview)
· Other related topics (To be determined)
· Note-taking skills
· Completion of unit assessment
· Related educational technology skills
· Related cross-curricular skills such as reading & writing genres, finding geographical references on maps, chronology/timeline concepts, historical references to paintings, songs, etc.

Lesson outline:
Lesson 1 Introduction of American Revolution Unit / Blabberize/ Wikispace Overview/ Google Earth Tour of Famous Places
Lesson 2 Project ideas explanation / show examples of projects / rubrics / test questions blog
Lesson 3 Background information on Revolution/Events leading up to the war (Visual, i.e. dippity timeline, bubbleshare, Teacher Tube video - The Shot Heard Round The World)
Lesson 4 Two column notes - overview of daily life /famous people/ battles
Lesson 5 Compare and contrast life then and now. Project ideas due (select from list on Project Ideas page) / Allow students time to work on projects
Lesson 6 In-depth look at famous people from this period (female / male / various ethnic groups/youth); Digital Storytelling
Lesson 7 Famous battles and results of Revolutionary War, Major Battles Podcast, newspaper article widget
Lesson 8 Overview of Declaration of Independence/Constitution/Freedom Blog Page (Patrick Henry's Speech, Animoto, Blog, Teacher Tube videos)
Lesson 9 Review for test using test questions blog and wiki pages/ Review information on Wiki/use flashcards on Wiki
Lesson 10 Assessment for unit
Lesson 11 Catch-up day for students to work on projects
Lesson 12 Projects due / View student projects

Daily Lessons (Geared to 4th grade level)
Lesson 1 Introduction of American Revolution Unit / Blabberize/ WikispaceTitle of lesson: It's Revolutionary!
Description of lesson The students will look at a wikispace about the American Revolution in order to gain background knowledge about this time period, and the people and events that shaped American history. Students will also preview some of the educational technology that is available for use in schools, including a blabberize introduction to the wikispace, and widgets that jazz up the site. These new technologies are great motivators for increasing student knowledge and achievement. Blabberize, widgets and wikispaces incorporate visual and auditory input with the use of computers. Also, the wikispace can be shared by people all over the world, and can be accessed from any computer. The students will also take a virtual tour of famous places of the Revolution. This will be done through the Google Earth program. This will help provide background knowledge as the students click on each thumbtack to see where different events took place.

Assignment (homework or in-class): Start thinking of possible projects. No assignment today.

Resources/materials needed: All educational technology pieces needed for today's lesson are contained within this wiki. The students will need access to a computer or Smart Board (with projector) to view this. They could take notes on their own in a social studies notebook as they start thinking about aspects of the Revolution that interest them, or types of educational technology that they might want to use.

Lesson 2 Project ideas explanation / show examples of projects / rubrics

Title of lesson: Imagination Station!

Description of lesson: Today we will look at possibilities and expectations of the final projects. Since students learn differently and have different strengths, we will consider the concepts of multiple intelligence theories. Students will start forming intentions for their projects. They will be able to choose from a variety of technology tools and other project components in order to tap their strengths in various ways. Projects could be visual, auditory or possibly performance based but should incorporate the use of educational technology or computers in some way. Also, the students will need to post at least one test question to the class blog, at least two days before the test date. Using the blog is a way for students to write down items they have been learning in the unit. The blog also helps the communication to be interactive with other students and the teacher. Students will also need to complete a graphic organizer, which they print from a file on this wiki.

Assignment (homework or in-class): Students should write down possible project ideas in their notebooks.

Resources/materials needed: All educational technology pieces needed for today's lesson are contained within this wiki. The students will need access to a computer or Smart Board (with projector) to view this. They could take notes on their own in a social studies notebook as they start thinking about aspects of the Revolution that interest them, or types of educational technology that they might want to use.

Lesson 3 Background information on Revolution/Events leading up to the war (Visual, i.e. dippity timeline)

Title of lesson: Fill Me In!

Description of lesson: We will discuss the background of colonial life and events leading up to the start of the American Revolution. Students will look at a variety of information on the wikispace, including the timeline by dipity. This is a great Web 2.0 technological tool because you can see artists' renditions of the events leading up to the Revolution, set in a timeline format. Students will be able to make their own timelines if they choose this as a project idea. The students will also look at a Bubbleshare slide show to see some of the images of the Revolution. This will help them form background knowledge.

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Lesson 4 Two column notes - overview of daily life /famous people/ battles

Title of lesson: Note-Worthy Facts

Description of lesson: The teacher and students will use the Smart Board screen (or overhead projector) to write two-column notes about important people, events, ways of life, occupations, etc. during the American Revolution time period.

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Lesson 5 Compare and contrast life then and now. Project ideas due (select from list on Project Ideas page) / Allow students time to work on projects

Title of lesson: And You Think You Have It Rough!

Description of lesson: Students will compare and contrast life in the 1700's with their life now. They will use a graphic organizer for this.

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Lesson 6 In-depth look at famous people from this period (female / male / various ethnic groups/youth)

Title of lesson: Famous People

Description of lesson: Students will use various Web 2.0 technology tools to learn about some of the people who lived during this time period. One of the tecniques used is Digital Storytelling. The story of the teenager, Sybil Ludington, is brought to life. Students can learn how to make biographical clips, or use their own pictures to make their own autobiography or story, using the Photostory tools to create the Digital Story.

They will take notes on famous people in their spiral notebooks, or on a word document (depending on the availability of individual computers).

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Lesson 7 Famous battles and results of Revolutionary War

Title of lesson: What's All This Fighting For?

Description of lesson: Student's will learn of the various American Revolution battles and locations of these. The emphasis is more geared to understanding the significance/happenings of the battles, and identifying locations on a map, rather than solely on memorizing facts such as dates, generals, etc. Studying the battles will give the students an insight to how difficult it was for these early Americans to win the freedom that we have today. Students will be able to listen to a podcast about some of the major battles in the Revolutionary War (also known as the War of Independence). They will also look at a teacher-created newspaper article about the birth of our country. This type of newspaper could be devised by students as one of their project ideas.

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Lesson 8 Overview of Declaration of Independence/Constitution

Title of lesson: With Liberty And Justice For All!

Description of lesson Students will use various technological tools and portions of the wikispace to learn the important tenets of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. (The students will not go in-depth on the Constitution at this time.) These will include Teacher Tube videos, and a speech by Patrrick Henry, created through readthewords.com. This technology tool was originally designed for students with learning disabilities, to assist with learning to read. In addition, the students will look at a brief Animoto video to help them conceptualize what freedom is, and what the price of it is. The Freedom Blog is another part of this lesson. Students will be encouraged to read the blog and write down their thoughts on the matter. The beauty of blogs is that students are reading and writing, but in a nontraditional way, as they become more technologically proficient..
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Lesson 9 Review for test/ Review information on Wiki/use flashcards on Wiki

Title of lesson: Tell Me More! Tell Me More!

Description of lesson: Students will review wikispace and various technological tools in order to review for tomorrow's test. Students will generate possible test questions. Students will also use flashcards from Flash Card Machine to study for the test.

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Lesson 10 Assessment for unit

Title of lesson: Show What You Know!

Description of lesson: Students will take a paper/pencil test on the American Revolution.

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Lesson 11 Catch-up day for students to work on projects

Title of lesson: Mustard and Catch-Up
Description of lesson: Students can use today to put the finishing touches on their projects and presentations. They can spice-up what they already have (like spicy mustard adds to a sandwich) and they can"catch up" on project portions they are behind on. If they are completely finished, they could work on making a banner for tomorrow's presentation, or read one of the books about the American Revolution.

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Lesson 12 Projects due / View student projects

Title of lesson: Patriots Unite and Celebrate!

Description of lesson Today is the day we celebrate the students' achievements. Students will share their projects with their classmates, parents, and possibly other students from the school. Dressing as a person from the time of the revolution will add to the fun! Additional ideas: Patriots Celebration: Students may dress up as someone from the Revolutionary Period. Parents could be invited. Displays could be set up, or presentations could be done in class. Refreshments could be served. (Perhaps parents could bring recipes or foods associated with that time period.)

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Additional goals and objectives/Scope and Sequence

Historical Fiction/American Revolution Lesson Plan (Developed by Emily Micucci in July, 2008 for Metro State Course - Teaching of Writing)